It's been said that if you're going to ride a modern sportbike around a racetrack without a steering damper, then you may as well ride without a helmet and leathers, too.  Steering dampers eliminate tank slappers and allow you to go faster through the bumps.  Most modern sportbikes now come with steering dampers right off the showroom floor, but a stock steering damper is about as useless as the  tires that came with the bike for someone who wants to go fast  in the corners.